


Coraleyes

by spacethezach (orphan_account)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, Fairies, Fairy! Ryan, Gavin Free-centric, Gen, M/M, Mermaid! Jeremy, Mermaids, More tags to be added, Pirate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 21:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13667592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/spacethezach
Summary: Gavinwas raised as David, a good Christian boy in early England and was told throughout his entire life how awful Pirates are. So of course he was scared to death when they attacked his home.Geoffhas been looking for his son for 22 years. He searched far and wide for him. He wanted his Gavin back. He was alive. Geoff knew it.Michaelhated himself, and would give what little he had for his Captain. He wished his captain would see him as the son he never had.Ryanwas happy to see the child when Geoff brought him home.Jeremyhad heard the ocean tides whisper of Coraleyes' son. He wished he could meet the lad.





	Coraleyes

**Author's Note:**

> So everytime you see David, i mean Gavin. Picture gavin.

 

For his entire life, David Free was told that _pirates_ killed his parents.

* * *

 

When he was five, he went up to the woman he called “Mum” and asked why his eyes were green and both his parents’ eyes were brown.

She responded, “Because we found you when you were itty bitty, just a little baby, after pirates hurt your real Mum and Dad.”

“But why would they do that?” David asked.

The woman looked grim. “Because pirates are awful, awful people. And should never be trusted or respected.”

When he was eight, he went up to the man he called “Dad” and asked there were men being hurt outside.

He replied, “Those are _pirates_. They _deserve_ to be hurt. They’re the people who killed your _real_ mum and dad.”

“But no one _deserves_ to be hurt.” David frowned, arms outstretched.

The man winked. “Pirates do.”

* * *

 

When he was twelve, David asked if _David_ was his real name.

“What do you mean?” Father asked.

David stopped playing the piano in front of him. “If I’m adopted, did I have a name before my parents passed? Do you know it? Or was I always named David?”

Father frowned. “I doubt it. You were awfully young.”

“How young?”

David’s father didn’t seem to pleased. “What’s with all the questions? Go back to your studies, please.”

* * *

 

When he was 16, while he was doing maths, he asked the question, “Why did you adopt me?” to Mother why he had the guts.

She was not happy with this question. “Are you complaining?”

David shrunk a bit. “N-No, but why _me_ of all people?”

Mother frowned deeply. “You should be thanking us instead of asking questions. We saved you from those ugly pirates.”

“Did you ever see the pirates?”

She glared again. “Go back to your Maths, David.”

* * *

 

When he turned 20, his father told him he’d need to learn how to shoot firearms.

“Why?” David asked, a bit taken aback.

“Because.” Father told him, putting the gun in his hands. “You need to learn. It’s only a matter of time before those filthy sea dwellers invade us. You need to be prepared to kill them.”

“I-I don’t want to kill them.” David said, a faint of desperation in his voice as his father walked away. “They’re people too! They have families!”

His father stopped setting up the target. “David.” he said solemnly. “You know how we found you?”

“Washed up and orphaned?” David tried.

“Your parents-”

“I thought _you_ were my parents.”

“-were _mercilessly_ **slaughtered** by those _people_.” His face stepped towards him, in his personal space. “ _And you would’ve been next_.”

David gulped. “U-understood.”

“Now, let me show you how to cock it.” His father grabbed the gun from him, and began to talk.

David tried not to listen.

* * *

 

Because David was told his entire life how awful pirates were, told how cold hearted and merciless they could be, it was only appropriate that he was terrified when a group of them attacked his home.

His father tried to teach him everything he could to get the boy prepared for something like this. David knew the works of a gun inside and out. He understood how to use it properly, and wasn’t a terrible shot.

But David was awful with the thing, once Father started talking about the pirates, what they could do, why they were so awful, David’s hands shook so bad he could barely hold the thing.

David awoke in the middle of the day after falling asleep doing his studies. He _wanted_ to fall asleep to a good book. He was in the middle of a nice one about myths. Lovely read.

He stretched, bones popping and cracking with his movements before someone banged on his door. “ _Oi!_ ”

“David! Get up! We have to go!” His father cried, opening the door, grabbing David’s coat and throwing it at him.

“What’s happening?!” David asked, panicking as he hastily threw the coat on. He was filled with a sudden sense of dread, _wrongness_.

“They’re here!” Father dove to the shelf, taking off the gun that sat there, collecting dust- he tossed _that_ at David, too. “The pirates! You’re going down there to fight!”

“ _Pirates?!_ **_Fighting?!_ ** ” David fumbled the gun in his hands. “Father! I-I don’t want to fight! Shouldn’t we be leaving?” he tried.

Father shook his head, pulling David’s wrist towards the door. “We must fight! Like men!!”

“W-who will look after Mother?!” David thought. His poor mother had never fought a day in her life. She came from a wealthy family just like his father.

“The maids and housekeepers will protect her just fine! Let’s go! C'mon”

* * *

 

David got separated from his father almost immediately, someone called him to the pirates robbing the bank down the road and David was shoved to the floor, being pushed by a dozen other people who actually knew what they were doing.

He almost went back inside, it _was_ the ideal time, but when he heard screams from down the other end of the road, David felt a bubble of pride and courage in his stomach.

Dashing down the street, feet padding lightly against the cobblestone, David tried very hard not to acknowledge the other pleads for help or cries of “ _Pirates!_ ” for elsewhere.

He followed the scream until he found a lady had been robbed. She was crying, almost in hysterics.

“Oh Mrs. Marshall!” David called, dropping to her side. “Are you hurt?”

The woman grabbed at David’s fingers, gasping for air. “Are they gone? Did you get them?”

“Th-there doesn’t really seem to be anyone else around, ma’am.” David stammered, standing to help her up. “You need to get indoors.”

He managed to get the woman in her house, telling her to lock all doors unless someone called for help, then let them in.

She was still crying as David ran back to the streets, only to be stopped by a clear, vibrant gunshot in the midday.

The courage he had, what little there was, had been replaced by cowardice, and David bolted into the nearest unlocked building.

It was a quiet shed, filled with books. David put an empty chair against the door and looked around. The place seemed cozy enough. A nice fire pit in the corner, books piled in different ways; colour, size, author.

David sighed in relief, sliding down the wall, head bouncing against all the ridges. The small library shed was an excellent place to wait this all out. It would be over, David could say he helped, then he could go home, curl up with some tea and a nice book-

“ _Who’s in here?_ ”

David’s entire body just about gave out. A gruff, deep voice pulled him from his thoughts. He scrambled (as quietly as one can, while being threatened by some unknown voice) to his feet, putting the gun his hands securely. He tried to slow his breathing. Just like Father taught him.

The click of a gun made David bite back a squeak. He ran to hide behind a stack of books. If he wasn’t in such a horrifying situation he would’ve giggled at the huge stack of _William Shakespeare_.

Someone stomped loudly behind him. Like they were trying to scare away a small animal.

A gunshot fired and David sunk down as low as possible, holding back tears as a small hole appeared in the wall opposite to where he was hiding, just above where his head was.

“ _Gotcha._ ” The voice said with an audible grin.

David realized they must’ve seen his hair. _Fucking poofy locks._ He thought. _God damn_.

“Get up.” The command was firm and terrifying and David knew it was a death wish but as he climbed to the feet, eyes closed and breathing unsteady.

David fired the gun out into the shed.

There was silence.

He opened his eyes and the gun dropped from his hands.

David read a bunch of stories on pirates. How could he not? It came mostly from the growing curiosity he found in them from age eleven onwards, and he read enough to know who was standing in front of him.

The man was taller than David. He had broad shoulders, and a strong build. He wore a long maroon coat that was covered in swirly gold designs, under it hid a plain white shirt, with a couple slings over it. His arms were out, like he was putting away his guns, which had flowers etched into the sides.

And the man’s face. _Oh God_. David thought. Anyone who had met the man and lived to tell the tale had surely remembered his face. In his younger years maybe he would’ve been handsome, but now, his jaw was crooked, eyes filled with the thing he’d seen over the years, a scruffy black beard.

His eyes were the most captivating things David had ever seen. One was a light blue, cloudy and tired. The other was a bright pink, pupil gone and a large scar running from the man’s forehead across the middle of his eye, down to low on his cheek. There was discolouration and hair refused to grow around it.

“ _Captain Coraleyes_.” David whispered, arms still up in surrender.

The man shot at the gun at David’s feet, sending it to bounce across the door and sliding to under the man’s large boot. He put his own guns away, eyes still on David.

“Good to know the youth recognize me. I was worried my impact was gone with the wind.” He mused, picking David’s gun off the ground. David had his back to the wall, looking to his right, and slowly, with one hand in surrender, let his right hand fall slowly to the lock on door.

A bullet shot by the door, and David’s hands shot back up to surrender.

“I know you probably think you’re all that, but kid, I’m the only one here that…” Coraleyes started, but his voice trailed off. David still didn’t look.

“That…”

The heavy footsteps that stepped towards David made him gulp. _This is it, innit_ ? He thought. _Bloody Captain Coraleyes of the damn Anarchy Hunters is going to kill me_.

But instead, something touched at his cheek- involuntarily, he looked over at the cool metal pressing against him.

The captain had David’s own gun brushing against him, eyes locked on… something.

“Who are you?” The man asked, voice quiet, almost shaky.

“David Free.” David stammered, focused on the gun.

“Who are your parents?”

“M-Martha and Gregory Free. Th-they adopted me when I was little.” David said. Who cares if a pirate captain knew about his life? He was going to die anyway.

“Adopted…?” Coraleyes breathed, like he was asking himself. He even looked away from David, blue and pink eyes wandering away to the floor.

“Y-yeah. They told me _pi_ -” Fuck. “- _people_ killed my parents.”

With his head still facing the ground, Coraleyes’ glance flickered to David. “Pirates.” He corrected.  
David opened his mouth to say something, but instead shut it and looked away.

He heard the sound of a gun being tossed, and the metal that was against his cheek was replaced by a warm, gentle hand.

David found himself being forced to stare into the eyes of one of the most deadly people across the sea.

The Captain brushed David’s cheek with his thumb. “Where’d you get that?” He asked, voice wavering. “That scar?”

“M-Mother told me I got that the first time they saw me. The pirates did it.” David admitted.

Coraleyes nodded, lost in thought, thumb still running over the scar continuously. His eyes drifted to David’s own, and David felt an odd sense of calm fill him.

“Do you recognize me?” the man murmured, just barely loud enough for David to hear it.

“Fr-from books. Y-yeah.”

“No… no not from books.” the man shook his head. “Not books. Do you recognize _me_ ? My voice, m-my my _touch_ , my presence- d’you..”

David saw tears on the edges of the man’s eyes, he let out the smallest of gasps.

“Do you _remember_ me?”

David gaped. He didn’t understand but he _knew_ what the man was talking about. Somehow.

So he told the truth.  
“..Yeah. Yeah I do.” he felt his own hands grab the ones gently cupping his face. “..from...Somewhere.”

“ _Gavin_ .” Coraleyes let out a long breath and his shoulders fell. “It’s _you_.”

“W-what? Who?” David murmured. Gavin? He _did_ recognize that name. Where from was a mystery but..

“ _You_.” the Captain said which such longing and such admiration that David almost believed him. “ _You’re_ Gavin. _My_ Gavin.”

“Y-your..?”

The faintest, most distant, most early memory came to him, like a burning ring around his skull that felt like the words _My Gavin_.

He remembered being held by hefty but gentle arms, wrapping around him. He was so _small_. He remembered looking up to see bright blue eyes. He remembered his tiny, fleshy fingers slowly wrapping around a finger covered in tattoos, and the small giggles that followed.

“I…” the realization dawned on him slowly, but fast enough that he couldn’t bring himself to call it true.

“Gavin.” Coraleyes breathed again. “You’re alive. My _son.._ ”

David’s eyes went from squinting in thought to widedend.

The Captain was rubbing David’s cheeks lovingly, much like Mother did when he was small. “I stopped looking after fifteen years…” he choked, body jolting when he cracked out a sob. “And I regretted every _second_ of it- _Gavin_.”

The hands disappeared from his face and instead Coraleyes wrapped his arms around David’s middle and hoisted him into a big hug, spinning the two of them around.

“Gavin, my _son!_ My son is _alive!_ ” He cheered. “My _boy!_ ”

David couldn’t really help but start laughing. His hands went to the man’s shoulders, feeling giddiness in his heart as the man chanted out the same phrases over and over.

The Captain, after a few happy seconds of spinning, dropped the both of them to the ground. He huffed, falling to the floor, taking a breather.

David sat down and joined him, smiling. “You’re my dad.” he realized, kind of dazed.

The man shuffled close to him, grabbing his shoulders and sighing with relief. “And you are my son.”

David studied the man for a moment. The man's eyes were now bright and lively, with pupils blown wide. “I remember you better now.”

The man cocked his head. “I could never forget you my boy.”

“How’d I get this scar? Do you know?” David asked eagerly.

The other grabbed David’s face gently and ran his thumb over the scar again, he looked upset, but still happy. “The day the Brits took you from us, I tried to reach out and grab for you one last time. My ring cut you. You’re teary eyes were the last I saw of you until today.”

David blinked and looked towards the floor. He almost remembered that. The pain as his cheek began to bled. The pleading look in his father’s eyes as he was wrapped in a towel and hushed to sleep.

“I was found in a blanket-” David started to ask.

“Your mother - my wife - made it for you.” Coraleyes said longingly, looking as though he was remembering the moment. “She gave it to you when you were born. You wore it everyday.” he paused, and his fingers began to grab at nothing continuously. “You were so small in my hands…”

The captain looked back up at David, and leaned over to cup his face again. David didn’t take notice on how he leaned into it. “I wish I could’ve watched you grow…” he whispered.

David grabbed the other’s hands and squeezed them. “I wish I could’ve grown with you.”

They sat like that for a few minutes, David’s hands over his new-found father’s, both staring at each other or the ground, the distant sound of a gunshot breaking the moment.

“I have to leave.” Coraleyes said suddenly. “Gav-I-I’m sorry I can’t-”

“I’ll go with you.” David stood up, almost surprised by his own words. “I-I want to.”

“You can’t. Not now. A-and besides, you have everything you need here.” Coraleyes gestured around.

“But what I _want_ is right in front of me.” David countered. “Let me come with you.”

The pirate’s eyes softened and David he was gonna start to cry again. “My Boy.” he murmured.

Coraleyes threw himself at David, hugging him tightly and David didn’t hesitate holding on just as tight to the man’s coat.

The other pulled off, hands on David’s shoulders, looking in his eyes with a determined gaze. “One fortnight. We’ll pull up off the coast in a fortnight. Two weeks. I’ll send over a row boat and if you still want to join my crew- my _life_ , you hop in and you’ll never have to come back-”

‘“I'll do it-”

“Gavin- _David_. If you do this, there’s no going back. A pirate’s life is freeing, but scary and dangerous. A-and maybe I could just come visit again-”

“No.” David told him, with equal determination. “I want to go with you.”

The captain took a deep breath. “Okay. One fortnight. Two weeks.”

“Two weeks. One fortnight.”

“Be at the docks.”

“Docks.”

“Be there at midnight with everything you want to take with you.”

“Midnight with stuff I need.”

“Don’t take too many clothes or books. Take sentimentals and irreplaceables.”

“And riches.”

The man chuckled. “And riches, sure.”

“Will it be you? Picking me up?” David asked.

But the other shook his head. “No, it’s too dangerous. I’ll send out someone who knows what you look like.”

David nodded. Outside, someone shouted _Captain_.

“I guess I’ll see you in two weeks.” Coraleyes huffed, letting go of David.

David pulled back at him, for one last hug.

“Tell me not to leave you behind.”

“Don’t leave me behind.” David told him.

“This will be the last time.” He promised.

And then the heat of David’s father was gone. And he was alone in a shed filled with books.

**Author's Note:**

> I dont plan on giving this an update schedule, because I have how to be a heartbreaker to finish and other stuff on the way, i focus on things depending on your interest and my passion for it. I hope y'all enjoy <3


End file.
